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Post by kiwi on Nov 11, 2016 7:20:39 GMT
Hi Harriet, I bought this 1972 Bobkat about 7 months ago IMG_0826 by Laurie Franks, on Flickr Those Airline Dearmonds are a little darker than the Dearmond goldfoils but great sounding. I have them on my Airline branded Harmony Meteor. I think you will find the Bobkat a very good slide guitar mine is. And that is definitely a Harmony made guitar. I just finished this Airline/Supro knock off build last week using a Guitarkitsusa fibreglass body kit. 24.75" scale with GFS goldfoil pickups. IMG_1074 by Laurie Franks, on Flickr IMG_1076 by Laurie Franks, on Flickr Cheers Laurie
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Post by kiwi on Aug 19, 2016 6:21:57 GMT
Hi! Pete, I'm sure that was rhetorical and you know the answer to your own question but just for anyone who's not sure, the answer is yes. Only assembly or even a degree of sub-assembly and packaging needs to be done to carry the name of the country in which that was carried out. Brass for bells is quite a different thing from the sheet/gauge brass that Reso's are made from. Apart from being cast, bell material is of a composition closer to bronze. Its like comparing cast iron with sheet steel, a different material to do a different job. Washboard Chris is right, I've seen on line Regal RC-51s with Amistar bodies dating up to about 2002. (Anyone got one they want to sell by the way, PM me!) Chris I owned a Regal Style 2 tricone that was made by Amistar, they did make the Regals up until about 2003. I bought mine then from Folk of the Wood in New Mexico. It had the signed Amistar label inside. Franta even sent me a replacement saddle when I botched lowering the action. I had to sell it back in 2009 due to unemployment, the one guitar I truly regret selling, it was a great sounding and playing guitar.
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Post by kiwi on Jun 20, 2016 7:01:49 GMT
The wood bodied tricone on their website is identical to the one I got last year from Republic, so I would suspect the same supplier. Mine was US$549. Internal woodwork was average, had to take out some mushroom props and glue the cone pan in better but sounds pretty good now.
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Post by kiwi on Jun 7, 2016 6:40:15 GMT
I can't speak on the Hot Rods, but they are made in the same factory as the Republics. I have owned 3 Republics, brass tricone, wood body single and wood body tricone.
The brass tricone was a very well made and good sounding guitar. Only mods were to replace the ebony tipped saddle with maple and remove the paint from the T bridge and that really opened up the sound. The wood body single again a great sounding and well built guitar. I only sold them due to unemployment.
I'll be buying another Republic brass tricone in the future.
The Republic wood tricone wasn't so well made internally and I have had to do a bit of surgery removing a number of mushroom posts and gluing up the cone well in a couple of places. It is now a great sounding guitar but not pretty inside although great looking on the outside. I see Frank no longer sells them.
So I can certainly recommend Republic, Frank is good to deal with too, he swapped out the reliced wood tricone coverplate for a standard one no charge. Just wish they didn't use ebony tipped saddles and painted bridges.
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Post by kiwi on May 26, 2016 5:01:24 GMT
F holes, body shape and headstock say Harmony. Harmony made archtops for B&S back in the 30s/40s. I'll put your link up on the Harmony Guys forum, a couple of the Canadian and UK guys have B&S guitars. I'll let you know the outcome. This is my 1943 Harmony Cremona
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Post by kiwi on Apr 28, 2016 7:26:29 GMT
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Post by kiwi on Apr 14, 2016 8:57:29 GMT
Always a treat for me to see R.J. Ronquillo represesented - thanks. And new spin on Donna Herula for me via the clip - though I think Mamie Minch deserves mention as well. Lawd lawdy, Harriet I would have to agree Harriet, a couple of years ago I saw a video of her giving a demonstration of treating mould/fungus on old guitars with oxalic acid and used her technique to successfully clean up the top on an old Harmony acoustic. Mamie is a very good guitar tech in New York. That got me to viewing some of her videos. Enjoyed them a lot. Cheers Laurie
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Post by kiwi on Apr 5, 2016 8:03:53 GMT
Harriet I will echo what the others have said, both are fine examples but you seem to play the bass parts more assertive in the second clip so my vote goes for that. It almost seems like you are anticipating the drums a little in the first. But you are really getting that McDowell sound happening, well done.
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Post by kiwi on Mar 16, 2016 4:51:05 GMT
I have 2 Harmony hollowbody electrics, an H74 and an Airline branded Meteor which I usually have flat wounds on. A few years back I tried a set of half rounds on one. Took them off after a week they just had none of the advantages of flats, and just didn't sound that great.
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Post by kiwi on Jan 28, 2016 10:10:25 GMT
Me too, although for me throwback Friday. Enjoy the postings as while we had a miniature blues thing going down here with a few local bands nothing as big as over there. And we certainly never had tours of any the traditional blues performers until the late 70s.
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Post by kiwi on Jan 19, 2016 7:05:22 GMT
so I just bought a '02 National Delphi for a good price off ebay. got it home and realized the action is pretty high, took it to a shop and they said it needed reset. I've been quoted from $300-800 for the work. what is a usual fair price for a reset? how concerned should I be about who is doing it? Is the shop you talked to experienced with resonator guitars? Reason I ask is they are different beasts from other acoustic guitars. Is the saddle high and perhaps with sanding down may lower the action enough without compromising break angle. Many are set up higher due to being a trade off between fretting and slide. Others here can advise on good luthiers depending on your location.
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Post by kiwi on Jan 13, 2016 10:17:08 GMT
Thanks kiwi. Is that 3500 US dollars or New Zealand dollars? (I'm taking your forum name as an indicator of your nationality.) I will borrow a measuring device to get a more accurate reading of the action height at the 12th fret tonight. I will also try and get a few pictures loaded on here too. Cheers, Peter Right on the nationality, actually looking at the exchange rate around NZ$4000 plus duty to bring in probably closer to $5000. As Michael says above it needs a set up and the UK guys can recommend who if you are there. Cheers Laurie
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Post by kiwi on Jan 13, 2016 7:11:47 GMT
My wished for guitar, but I need to save a lot, they are over $3500 here. Until I have the money I have a Republic wood body tricone. Needed a fair bit of work inside removing some mushroom props and gluing the cone well up to get rid of some rattles. But it now plays and sounds great. I have the action at 2.75mm both E strings at the 12th, 5mm seems pretty excessive, I'd say time for a set up. If new you should be able to get that done under warranty I would have thought. Would love to see some pics, I just love the look of these (although their El Trovador gets me drooling too ) Here is my Republic
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Post by kiwi on Sept 3, 2015 5:50:58 GMT
I agree with Gaucho, I swapped the Continental cones in my Amistar tricone for Nat Reso ones and promptly swapped them back, I actually preferred the tone of the Continentals, it was not quite as loud but very balanced. (This was pre the Nat Reso Hot Rod cones).
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Post by kiwi on Sept 1, 2015 4:10:33 GMT
I have had several thumbpicks break like that over the years and it was due to stress, my thumb is tight on the large Dunlops and flexing taking them on and off caused it. I still use some plastic Dunlops but my main thumbpick is an Acri, very comfortable
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